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johndeerequeer · 1 year

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Chapter 12

Surrender

Masterlist

Pairing: Arthur Morgan x Original Female Character

Warnings: Smut (writing is on the milder side in terms of language and descriptions)

Read on Ao3

They approached her tenement without a word. He scoped out the surrounding area, keeping an eye out for lingering officers. She led the way through the front doors. They crept quietly up the stairs to the second floor.

She made her way toward her door as she’d done hundreds of times before. Past her door and down the hall, the potted plant still sat there. She shifted the pot to retrieve her spare key. They crept in slowly and Arthur closed the door behind them.

Her apartment was small, seeming smaller somehow after her time away. The smell of mouldy fabric and cigarettes hung in the air; comforting scents all the same.

Even in the dim light of the moon streaking through the windows, she could tell the room was in tatters. Drawers open, papers scattered, table overturned.

“What were they looking for?” she whispered incredulously.

Arthur grunted from behind her.

“Something to tell them where you'd run off to,” he suggested.

Something horrible filled her stomach. She rushed to her bed tucked away in the corner. The mattress was already overturned. Her lockbox was already opened. Letters from her mother she had so carefully stashed away littered the ground. She knelt to the floor and gathered the stack. One of the envelopes was missing.

“Fuck,” she cursed.

“What’s wrong?”

“My letters,” she groaned, “they’ve got my mum’s address.”

Arthur approached and took one of the letters from her hand.

“What’ll they do?” she asked.

Arthur frowned as he fiddled with the paper.

“Contact the force in Blackwater, I suppose,” he said, “see if you’ve gone home.”

Her chest tightened.

“They won’t hurt her, will they?

“They ain’t gonna do nothing,” he told her.

He said it was like a threat; a challenge. The notion comforted her more than anything else. His resolve eased her.

She sighed, fixed her bed and sat down.

“They’ll just tell her all the horrible things I’ve done,” she mumbled, “that her sweet Madeline’s gone and soured herself.”

Arthur sighed.

“You ain’t gone sour, sweetheart.”

“What makes you so sure?”

He sighed and a small smile etched onto his face. He walked over and stood in front of her.

“Because you’re one of the sweetest people I’ve met.”

He flickered his gaze about her face, taking in the runny smear of her makeup. He brought his fingers to her chin to tilt her head up to look at him. His calloused thumb traced her lips as he wiped away the leftover rouge.

She pushed his hand away.

“You just can’t help yourself, can you?” she seethed.

His mouth fell open and pain knit his brow.

“Mads-”

“I won’t be toyed with, Arthur,” she told him, “make up your goddamn mind.”

He sighed and brought a hand to his face, rubbing his weary features.

“I’m trying, darlin’, but you’re making it difficult.”

A bitter laugh escaped her throat.

“ I’m making it difficult?” she all but yelled, “What's so difficult about this, Arthur? Either you want me or you don’t.”

Without another word, he took hold of her jaw and brought their lips together with a powerful impact. Body against body, lip against lip, they met.

She held him against her tightly. Her mouth parted to welcome him and he happily entered. A moan passed between their lips. He brought his hands to her waist and brought her closer. She broke apart only for a moment to pull him to her bed and straddle his lap.

Their hands roamed wildly, desperate to keep their hold on one another. His hands drifted down her back, pulling at the damp fabric that clung to her like a second skin. His mouth drifted too. His rough, shaven skin caressed her cheek as his lips dragged down to her neck. She tilted her head back with a gasp as she gripped his shoulder and the back of his jacket.

She pulled away. He brought his gaze up to meet hers as she stared down at him. Her hands drifted to his collar, but she hesitated. He held her still as he slipped off his suit jacket. She loosened his necktie and unbuttoned his vest.

Once everything was said and done, he was left in his dress pants and half a union suit. Her hands splayed across his chest, her palms flat against him. She shivered as her fingertips grazed the chilled clamminess of his skin.

He brought his hands to her face, eager to reunite their lips. But she held back. She wanted to relish this moment. She pulled his hands away from her face and laid them at his sides. His gaze never left her face.

He breathed her name.

She stared back at him as she began undoing her dress. He shifted beneath her. She held his stare, hard and true, compelling him to remain in place. He obeyed.

She wanted to undress for him. To carefully peel away the exterior and allow him to know her, deeply and intimately. He watched in awe as her fingers roamed to the top hem of the gown. Gingerly, she dragged off, relishing in the gentle bite to her bare skin, tickled by the air, as goosebumps rippled across her back. She stood for a moment, pulling away the last ties and bows, and let it drop to the floor as she brought her gaze back to his.

She waited patiently, as he explored her with his eyes, fists clenching and unclenching by his sides. She had unwittingly waited for a moment like this. To bare herself before someone. To allow them to behold her at her most vulnerable and feel entirely indestructible.

He held himself utterly still, waiting for her say-so. She nodded and his hands shot to wrap around her hungrily. He brought her against him again. Their mouths clashed like opposing tides, pulling and pushing, dragging away and then mending together as one again. He dragged his calloused hands along the softness of her skin. Her whole body shivered with excitement.

She held his face in her hands, memorizing the texture of his skin. The roughness and hard edges tickled her fingertips. She slid her hands past and through his shaggy hair. She combed through it with tenderness and then gathered it in her grip and held it firm.

He moaned gently as she guided his head back, with a gentle tug of his hair, parting their lips again. Their eyes met, flaring with fiery devotion. She dragged a thumb down his mouth, grazing his bottom lip. With her arm draped over his shoulder, her hand still firmly gripping his hair at the back of his head, she allowed her other hand to float down his torso and land at the button of his dress pants.

All at once, he stood her up and sat her on the bed. She sighed quietly as she laid back, settling into the worn mattress. He pulled away and stood before her. Much as she had, he undressed under her loving gaze. She watched, shifting in anticipation, as he revealed himself to her. She took him in intently, from head to toe, and everything in between. He was glorious, a sight to behold.

He stalked forward and brought himself above her. She grasped for him, eager to have him against her. Their bodies met and fit together like pieces of a puzzle. He took her chin in his hand and kissed her tenderly. She dragged her hands along his back and then brought them to the space between them tracing her finger along his chest. They both paused. He took a moment to look into her eyes again, as did she. He shifted, hovering above her, his hands bracing himself on the mattress, searching her face and observing her body, piecing together what she wanted from him. She brought her hands to either side of his waist and pulled on him gently.

He carefully knelt between her legs and brought his hands from the mattress to either of her thighs. He pulled her to him and braced her against his waist. She let out a gasp. He kept his gaze on her face as he went about joining them together, watching for her reaction. Slowly, ever so slowly, he eased into her. All at once her breath quickened and slowed again; finding a rhythm, as did his hips. She whimpered quietly, drinking in this new sensation and allowing herself to acclimate to it. Her eyes fluttered close. As she shifted her hips, to make for a better fit, he gained in speed. She moaned in response, willing him to continue.

Heat spread through her, as her body simultaneously relaxed and contracted. Her head lolled back as she let out a deep breath and subsequent moan. He kept a steady pace while running his hand up and down her thigh. Her skin buzzed beneath his touch.

His other hand wandered down to a spot of considerable bliss between her legs, which he kneaded with his thumb. Her breath caught in her throat at the added sensation. Each brush stoked a fire within her.

“You like that, darlin’?” he asked, his voice deep and strained.

She hummed and nodded eagerly, unable to form the words.

She needed him closer. She lifted from the bed and brought herself against him. Her face rested in the crook of his neck. The sounds he compelled from her filled his ear. He moaned in reply, placing a chaste kiss against the side of her head.

They moved in sync. Reactions became louder, more eager, as they came closer to the edge. She gripped his hair again, gently, and laid a kiss on his neck. Every sensation was new and untouched, but carnally familiar. They cherished the sounds that filled the air.

A shrill, trembling cry escaped her throat. Her body went taut. She clamped onto him with a renewed vigour.

“Arthur…” she moaned, a whimper seizing her throat.

“That’s it,” he cooed in reply.

Her nails dragged down his back as he eased her through the waves of utter bliss. It was not too long later that she felt him reaching his end as well, he continued his speed with greedy intent.

A breath as deep and fiery as the pits of hell escaped his throat, followed by a resonant moan that rumbled like thunder. It was an entirely sublime sound, like music to her ears. He retreated from her hastily and allowed his spend to empty between them.

The tides began to calm and ebb at the shore. The both of them relaxed with a sigh as he gently laid her back on the bed. They breathed heavily and stared at one another. Her cheeks flushed red; both of them glistened with a thin layer of sweat. She tossed him a smile, which he returned. Neither of them spoke. They allowed the silence to wash over them.

He stepped off the bed to grab his still-damp necktie and used it to clean them both up. Then, he reached over to grab the woollen blanket that had been discarded to the ground. He brought himself back down beside her as he laid the blanket over the both of them and happily brought her closer. He slid his arm under her head for her to rest on while the other dragged along her side, tracing the hills and valleys, the marks and stripes of her body. She melted under his touch and shifted closer, allowing the warmth of both their bodies to mix together. Her eyes drifted closed as the exhaustion took hold. He laid a firm kiss atop her head, his fingertips lazily drawing circles on her shoulder.

The two drifted off to sleep peacefully, bodies and souls thoroughly intertwined.

#mred dead redemption arthur #arthur morgan x original female character #arthur morgan smut #arthur morgan fanfiction #red dead fanfic #red dead redemption fanfiction #red dead redemption 2

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flameo-hotman · 3 years

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Zuko Adoption Menu #31

@zukoscalzones selected adoption #31, Ty Lee’s family adopts Zuko. This one was way too much fun for me to write and I high key want to turn it into a full length fic.

The news that the crown prince had vanished the same night as Lady Ursa broke not long after Ty Lee had talked her mom and dad into adopting a boy off the streets.

She had known exactly who the boy who became her brother was.

But maybe it was for the better that the new Fire Lord didn’t know who Ty Ken actually was. Besides Zuko seemed happier as Ty Ken than he had been as Zuko. Though it would be two years before he would tell her why he hadn’t gone wherever the Lady Ursa had gone.

It happened when she was braiding a pastel grey ribbon into his hair.

“I found her when she was talking with the Mother of Faces… She chose to forget about me. That’s why I came back to the Caldara.”

It was sudden and blunt, but Ty Lee kept braiding, asking, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” Was Ty Ken’s answer.

Ty Lee didn’t need to ask who her brother was talking about. Azula didn’t like talking about Lady Ursa either, but like most people, Azula had assumed that Ursa had likely died. She didn’t know what to think about this information.

Once she had finished with Ty Ken’s hair, the two of them got up to head on over to the vanity that they shared with their sisters and started on their makeup.

“You always do your makeup all gloomy like Mai’s,” Ty Lee teased her brother, but he just shrugged and answered, “It goes better with my outfit…”

But he seemed to pause for a moment and look at himself in the mirror for a few moments, and suddenly grabbed the pot of red eye shadow.

She smiled at her brother and helped him blend out the red smokey eye he had decided on, before handing over the eyeliner so he could do his winged eyeliner. It was a good look and really made his eyes look nice.

“Don’t say it.”

“I won’t.”

Just then Ty Lao came rushing in and plopped down in the seat next to Ty Ken grumbling, “Ty Woo said my mascara was smudged. Is any of the waterproof stuff left?”

“Yeah,” Ty Ken answered, before handing over the mascara he had just used on his own lashes to their sister.

She looked relieved, as she excepted it and started to fix it, asking, “So, are the two of you ready for the show we are putting on for the Princess?”

“Totally, I showed Azula the acrobatic routine I am planning was and she liked it,” Ty Lee answered, as she made a note that they would need to get more mascara. “I think she is going to love your dance routine you have planned.”

“Thank you! Ty Woo saw it and she-” Ty Lao started, before Ty Woo popped her head in and finished, “It looked like something that a noseless shirshu would come up with.”

“I think it is nice,” Ty Ken snapped back, accepting the mascara back once Ty Lao was done with it, and went back to work on his lashes.

Ty Woo groaned, “Make your lashes any longer and you’ll cut them off with your swords, Ty Ken.”

“At least my special skill is good enough to perform, Ty Woo.”

Their sister only answered by rolling her eyes and retorting, “At least I’m not adopted, Sword Boy.”

“Love you to, Jerk,” Ty Ken answered, as he tossed the mascara off to the side.

And with that Ty Woo gave him a soft smile before she vanished from the room.

Ty Ken looked at himself in the mirror for a moment like he was unsure of something.

And well Ty Lee understood because Ty Ken hadn’t been to the palace since he was still Zuko. His nervous aura was completely understandable. He was eleven when he left that life behind him, and some soldiers were still assigned to investigating his disappearance. There was a lot that could go wrong.

And they hadn’t even told their parents who Ty Ken actually was.

But Ty Ken didn’t look much like Zuko had, so it wasn’t like anyone but Mai and Azula would recognize him. And that was only because those two actually knew the truth about Ty Ken.

It didn’t take very long for them to finish getting ready for Azula’s birthday, and then they were headed to the palace with the rest of their family.

“You’ll be fine,” Ty Lum assured him, as she entered the makeup room and kissed the top of his head. “You are amazing with swords and please tell me there is some mascara left over for me.”

“The backups are in the locked case that I definitely don’t know how to pick the lock of, Ty Lum,” He answered producing another mascara out of said case, before handing it to her and giving her a smile.

“I don’t know why you use so much mascara. If I had eyebrows like yours I would try to draw more attention to them,” She giggled as she accepted the mascara and sat down next to Ty Lee.

Ty Lao turned to her and asked, “So did you figure out how to turn origami into something you can do as a performance?”

“Really really big paper.”

“Smart.”

“Thank you.”

Ty Lat peaked her head in and announced, “We need to get going so Ty Ken time to put the mascara down.”

“I just finished my lashes, I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

His sisters giggled, as he slipped one of the spare mascara’s into his pocket, but he ignored them, as he got up and left to go grab his dao swords.

He seemed happier living with them than he had been living in the palace.

Ty Lee watched her brother leave, a soft smile on her face.

“It is kind of sad that Ty Lat can’t do her swim program for the Royal Family,” Ty Lao sighed as she put the mascaras back into the lockbox and locked it.

Ty Lee nodded and followed her sisters out of the room.

Ty Le and her brother ended up in the carriage with Ty Lin and Ty Liu, who were going over their sheet music for the event. They didn’t bother to try and talk to them, since the last few times they had when those two were pouring over their music they snapped at them and hid Ty Ken’s mascara.

And well he may have burned down part of their private forset because of that.

Normally though they got along with Ty Ken and he would play the tsungi horn with them.

Once they got there they made their way to backstage of the stage that had been set up for their performances.

Ty Liu checked over her harp, while Ty Lin got her flute out of its case, and the rest of them got set up for their numbers.

Ty Woo and Ty Lat introduced themselves to their audience, before welcoming Ty Lum onto the stage so she could open the show with her massive origami crown of fire, while Ty Liu and Ty Lin started the first song of the night.

Ty Lao was up next with her dancing, and Ty Lee followed replacing her as the music changed tempo to match with her kart wheels and summersaults.

Azula seemed pleased by the show even if the Fire Lord seemed to not be paying any attention, instead choosing to say something to General Iroh. Whatever he’d said seemed to upset the man, as Iroh grimaced and made the point of not looking at his brother.

The music took a sudden dramatic turn, and Ty Lee shot herself up into the rafters, as a plum of fire unfolded beneath her like a blooming lotus blossom, and there stood Ty Ken with his swords.

She watched him twist and slice, ribbons of fire bursting from his swords.

Watching him with his swords was like watching Ty Lao dance. The music swelling with his movements, as he burned his way across the stage like he was a shadow sending up a prayer to Agni.

He finished his routine using his swords to send a burning dragon shooting up into the sky.

And then all was quiet.

Azula began clapping with as much enthusiasm as a princess was allowed to, and the others watching began to follow suit until Ozai stood and roared, “SILENCE!!!!”

Zuko flinched.

“You dare to dishonor me like this, you insolent whelp?!”

Zuko’s eyes went wide. Ozai had recognized him.

The Fire Lord stormed over to the stage, and Zuko scrambled back, as the man leaped onto the stage.

Zuko tripped and fell backward.

Everyone was frozen, as Zuko began to plead with the Fire Lord, “It’s not what it looks like, Father! I didn’t mean you any-”

But Zuko’s pleas were cut off by screams and burning flesh.

All hell broke loose, as Ty Lee and her sisters reacted.

Ty Lee dropped down from the rafters and jabbed the Fire Lord with her chi blocking, as Ty Liu and Ty Lat rushed to throw Ozai from the stage.

Mai, while not one of Ty Ken’s sisters, joined the fight with her throwing knives.

General Iroh stood and for a moment Ty Lee feared he would attack them, but instead he attacked an approaching guard, as Azula rushed onto the stage and helped her get Ty Ken to his feet.

Neither of them willing to look at what remained of his face, as they ran with the other Ty Sisters, Mai, and General Iroh, fleeing the palace.

“Happy Birthday Princess, we’re all traitors,” Ty Woo groaned, as they burst through the palace gates and onto the streets of the city.

Azula responded with her trademark smirk, “Well, at least it wasn’t boring.”

At least General Iroh had a ship in the dock that they could use to flee to the Earth Kingdom.

Ty Lee didn’t chi block the Fire Lord of all people just to let her brother die after all.

#flameo-hotman #atla #avatar the last airbender #ask the hotman #zuko adoption menu #zuko #ty lee #ty lee's sisters

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alicepink-me · 5 years

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Secret Admirer

Story Summary:

With the help of Chat Noir, Marinette sends a love letter to Adrien. After that, there’s an exchange of many letters between Marinette and Adrien. Marinette is excited but later questions if she is actually writing to Adrien and thinks Chat Noir might actually be writing to her instead. Marinette tries to make sense of her love life and who her secret admirer actually is.

Chapter 10: Avoidance

Marinette grabbed her diary lockbox and slung her purse around her shoulder. Tikki flew inside her bag as she ran down the stairs, closing her trap door before leaving. Marinette entered the bakery and stole a macaroon from one of the trays.

"Bye mom. Bye Dad. I'm going to the park." Marinette said as she opened the door.

"The park? You've been going there everyday now." Sabine stood at the counter by the register.

"Yeah. I just like to be around nature." Marinette smiled.

"Alright." Sabine was unsure. "But be back in two hours for your shift at the bakery, okay?"

"I will." Marinette shouted as she ran out.

It's been about a week since Marinette has seen Chat Noir. She didn't really know why, but she felt relieved. She was calmer. Marinette would be lying to herself if she said she hadn't thought about their kiss. Marinette hated that she enjoyed it, but she couldn't change what she felt. And she didn't know why she felt that way.

Luckily, there were no akumas since then. Akuma attacks were very different now than they were three years ago. Just like the drills installed in schools and public places, people are taught to deal with their emotions in a more positive way. The drills are safety measures to protect citizens from the attack, but all attacks stem from emotions. If someone is taught how to properly deal with their emotions and are made aware that they're okay and not alone, it makes it less likely they'll get akumatized. Since attacks aren't an everyday thing anymore, Paris's heroes get some time away from their jobs to deal with their lives, sort of.

Since there wasn't an akuma, Marinette hasn't had to face Chat Noir as herself or Ladybug. She didn't know how she'd react if she did. Seeing him might set her off. Marinette just hoped that she didn't hurt him too much. Even if she made him leave, she still cared for him.

Marinette walked into the park and sat at a bench. She held her pink lockbox in her lap, staring at it. She took the key from her purse and unlocked it, taking out her diary. She stopped to look around her at the trees blowing in the wind. All the nature around her was so peaceful. She did actually enjoy it.

Marinette clicked her pen and began to write. "Dear . . . " She began, drowning out the world around her, but still living in nature. She wrote a whole two pages in less than five minutes. She had a lot on her mind. Marinette loves Tikki, but some of her emotions are only known in her diary. She didn't want to tell anyone all of her struggles, not even her kwami.

Marinette heard a few familiar voices followed by a car door closing. She looked up to see Adrien's body guard and Nathalie across the park. A few extra people left the limo and carried a bunch of boxes over to the fountain. And then she saw him. Adrien exited another door of his limo and walked over to the fountain. Three of the extra people began fixing his appearance. They combed his hair, blended in makeup, and adjusted his clothing. Marinette couldn't help but watch even though she knew she shouldn't.

The people left Adrien and he moved to sit at the concrete edge of the fountain, checking his phone. Marinette internally screamed. She wanted to run but she also wanted to stay. It's almost two months into summer vacation. She hasn't actually seen Adrien in all that time. She's only seen and wrote to Chat Noir.

Oh no, it happened. Marinette's mind exploded and beads of sweat formed at her hairline. They made eye contact. That single moment she dreaded actually happened and it seemed to last a century. Were they staring or was this glance just slowing time for her? There were fireworks. But the things his eyes were telling her. What did they mean? This look was something different.

Marinette blinked and looked back at her diary. Her eyes had started to sting. She quickly looked up and down a few times between him and the diary, but he was still watching her. She definitely wasn't imagining it now. He was staring. It was happening and it was real.

He looked away. Marinette released a sigh of relief. It was over. She could focus on her diary, sort of.

Marinette picked up her pen but before the tip even touched the paper, she looked up to see Adrien coming her way. She panicked and shrieked internally. Was her look an invitation to him? Why was he coming over? Very professional to leave your photoshoot like that. Should she leave? Run? She didn't know.

Oh no, he was getting closer. What was she going to do? What would she say?

"Hey Marinette." He said slowly. Adrien seemed anxious.

"H-Hi Adrien." She stuttered, her heart beating faster.

"So . . . " He nervously scratched the back of his neck. "W-What brings you to the park?"

Marinette quickly closed her diary. "Um . . . just . . . writing in my journal." She put the book back in her lock box.

Adrien watched her intently. "Is that the same diary that Chloe stole a few years ago?"

"No. I get a new one at the start of each year." She looked down. "But it's the same box." This conversation was killing her. Marinette felt awkward and for some reason Adrien was trying really hard to find something to talk about. She could tell he was nervous. It just wasn't going well. "Shouldn't you get back to your photoshoot?" She asked.

"My photographer is running late, so . . . I have time to talk to you." Adrien smiled.

"Oh." Marinette nodded her head, her internal screams shrieked louder.

"So what are you doing today?" He asked. "My photoshoot should only last like an hour, so maybe we cou-"

Marinette's eyes widened and she stood up, grabbing the box. "Actually I need to get home." She blurted. "I-I'm supposed to be working in the bakery. So I better go." She backed up, tripping a few times.

"Are you sure you have to go right now?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm already late."

"Do you want me to walk you home?" He offered.

"No, no. It's not far anyway. I'm fine." Marinette dashed through the gates and out of the park. She needed to continue avoiding him. She thought she was maybe ready to think about him again, but clearly not. She thought her head would combust or something.

Adrien sighed as he spun around to walk back to the fountain.

Marinette didn't need to go back to the bakery yet and she really needed to clear her mind, even if that meant avoidance. So maybe she'd walk around Paris. You know, get some fresh air.

. . .

"Why is she still talking to him?" Lila gritted her teeth. "I thought she got the message before, but I guess not." Lila watched as Marinette and Adrien talked in the park. She despised it. She wanted Adrien. She wanted what Marinette had. She was supposed to have him. "Ugh!" Lila kicked over a trashcan. "That's supposed to be me!" She shouted. "What does he see in her?!" She picked up on Adrien's interest in his conversation with Marinette and she hated it. "Why her? What makes her so special and not me? I'm way better. Marinette shouldn't stand a chance and yet Adrien is fawning over her." Lila leaned onto a park bench in front of her with a sinister look. "I'm the one deserving of Adrien's affection. Just you wait, Marinette, you've got another thing coming."

. . .

@liebredavinci @i-am-so-done-like @yo-jes @ashtheteenagewitch @too-involved @ms-epicness @zazzlejazzle @cocoa-beanzzz @thedisneyestprincess

#MIRACULOUS: TALES OF LADYBUG AND CHAT NOIR #adrien agreste #miraculous ladybug #marinette dupain cheng #love letters #secret admirer #fanfiction #tags #story

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abbi-normals-brain · 4 years

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A Credible Threat

An interview between a human from Australia, and a highly credulous alien tasked with cataloging and rating potential threats and hazards throughout the galaxy. Derived loosely from a recent writing prompt I saw lurking Reddit. I don't post there, so here it is.

"We had a war with them, you know."

The human puts the "cigarette" to his mouth again. The smoke activates the extractors, which are calibrated to remove all toxins from the atmousphere almost as soon as they appear. You scroll through your notes with one tentacle, looking for a mention of whom he's referring to.

"A war? With the...the large criminal faction typically referred to as 'The English', I presume? I understand your people were exiled from--"

The human interupts you with a harsh laugh, like the sounds made by the dogs you'd unsuccessfully tried to interview earlier in this experiment. You make a note to re-open the issue of whether these sounds may constitute a spoken language after all.

"A 'criminal faction'! Ha, that's a good one! But Nah, mate. I didn't mean England. I mean the damn emus."

"...emus?"

"Emus." Ash falls from the glowing tip, and you nervously check your notes. Who let him have that thing? It must constitute some kind of hazard rating. The preliminary analysis from the lab decribes the item as 'a thin tube of bleached fibrous material containing dried plant matter of the Earth genus Nicotiana which has typically been impregnated with preservatives and other compounds. Nicotiana is very toxic in large enough doses, and alters neurochemical makeup with consistant exposure, but it is vanishingly difficult to expose oneself to these conditions unintentionally, particularly in a well-ventilated space. One end is hot when in use, but the items were judged largely harmless and placed in the lowest threat category.' Hm. Fine. Doesn't seem right, but the lab technicians generally know what they're doing.

"Expand on this, please."

"They're bloody emus! What else is there to say?! You mean to tell me you guys went cruising around in your little UFO grabbing up randos from all over Australia--"

"We actually took samples from an evenly distributes pattern of points across the surface of your world."

"And NONE of them told you about emus?!"

"No."

The human snorted and shakes his head. You enter a few notes, waiting for him to continue, and when he doesn't, you do.

"You are the first subject to mention them. Frankly, the first to mention war with an non-human animal at all, and I can't say I'm not suspicious of your claims."

"Suspicious? Mate, it's just how the place is. First thing people think of when they think of Australia."

"The Galactic Travel Guide is familiar with many of Earth's most dangerous predators outside of yourselves. We've heard about the lions. We've heard about the hippos, and how they're actually much more dangerous than the lions. We've heard quite a lot about the moose. We've even heard of your screaming, spitting black and white geese. We've even heard of the small population of flightless dragons with necrotic saliva. But the idea of creatures such as these attempting to make war on the dominant sapients of the planet--"

"It was a little more than an attempt, mate," the human muttered.

"You don't mean to suggest--"

"Yeah. Yeah, they won."

"..."

"Twice."

"Is it something about your treatment aboard ship that makes you so obstructionist in these interviews? You know that if you simply answer our questions about the hazards your species navigate on your planet, we will return you to your home. Most of our other samples have completed this task, been mindwiped of the experience, and returned to their normal lives."

"Nah, the food's great. The room's comfortable. I'm not 'obstructionist'. I'm just tellin' you what's out there."

"And what else is there?"

"Kangaroos."

"Go on."

"Long tail. They can stand on it a little. Hops along on its back feet as fast as a car, but can't move backwards. Massive, vicious sharp claws too. Tall as a man, almost, and punches like a freight train. And they breed pretty fast, enough they're pests in some parts."

"Pests as in, an animal populous enough to cause damage to human settlements?"

"Yeah, they put up special fences in some places to keep them out."

"Fortifications?! Just for these creatures?!"

"We also got'em for crocodiles."

"We've heard of them before, from a subject in..." you check your notes, "Egypt."

"Ours are bigger. And meaner. World famous for it, really."

"So you say."

"And I bet that guy didn't tell you the kicker about crocodiles. If you're looking for a threat rating, well... See, they just...keep growing. Most of them come in at an average size, but sometimes there's one....as long as they have enough food to support themselves, they literally never stop growing, AND they don't age like you and m--well, like me. So they could hypothetically get to be older than dirt and bigger than a bus if you fed 'em enough."

"Right. Moving on. Setting aside macrofauna, how would you describe the toxicology profile of your land? Insects, plant and fungal life, etc?"

"Extensive! World famous for that too!"

"Of course you are."

"It's not all bad. Some of our animals carry their babies inside--"

"Yes, we're aware of the ordeal that is mammallian reproduction and would thank you not to bring it up."

"No no, the marsupials. Like the kangaroos. The babies are born as just this tiny fetus that crawls by itself into its mother's pocket until its got hair and stuff."

"So now you're saying the kangaroos wear clothes?"

"No, the pocket is in the skin."

"For Glob's sake, if you think I'm such a fool that I'd enter this in the GTG databases--which 100's of bargillions of S'zezdars rely on for their very lives as they attempt to avoid the many deadly threats in the galaxy--"

"Can't be that deadly out there, if you're this scared of kangaroos."

The thick mane of barbed spines down your back rattled against each other as they rose up straight--"like a porcupine" a different human subject had said. You were starting to lose patience.

"Human." you said with a measured firmness that made the human pause and look warily at you, shifting eye contact between your various ocular organs as they bulged, pulsing with pale yellow light. "What the GTG does may seem silly to you, or pedantic, or useless. To be quite frank, this is because you as a species live on a tiny ball of spittle and haven't even been to the bottoms of your own oceans yet. Out here, in the vastness of all space, where the species like us who have earned the privilege, this is a literal matter of life and death. Living, thinking, sapient being in numbers that your species literally can't comprehend depend on accurate up to date information on the unimaginable array of threats that await them off-world."

"Mate, I'm sorry, I'm really not here to condescend. I'm actually trying to help you."

With a conscious effort, you pull your spines back down into a relaxed position. They make a single simultaneous clacking sound, like an old mechanical lockbox.

"Then please give my work the gravity it deserves."

The human put the "cigarette" in his mouth again, and exhaled thoughtfully., giving you a curious look.

"...so, uh. I take that means you don't wanna hear about the platypus?" You're about done with this subject. He's been holding up the experimental process for days. His claims get more and more outlandish and obtuse with each interview. Clearly you're not going to get accurate information about this subject's natural environment from the subject himself. An away mission will be necessary to verify details first hand.

Your tentacles flex and curl nervously. But what if what he said was true, or at least had a grain of truth to it? You consider it for a moment and discard the idea. If the location were really that dangerous, they would be downplaying it to exaggerate their own power over such a hostile environment. Clearly they're doing the opposite, trying to exaggerate the danger. Or more likely, fabricate dangers completely. He must know the land has no natural defenses and doesn't want to be overrun by hostile Galactic faction. Or maybe they just want adventure tourist dollars--this is for a travel guide after all. You decide in an instant that you're calling his bluff here and now.

Either way, this subject is being ejected from the study post-haste. You release the thin panel of a screen you'd been taking notes on, and grasp the microphone of the voice COM in your desk firmly among your suckers.

"Guard." you say flatly. A heavily armed and armoured S'zezdar slithers into the room immediately. "Take this one for mindwiping and send him home. We're going to have to check out the local flora and fauna on the surface ourselves." You distantly worried about the tongues-lashing your supervisor would give you about it, and about how you handled this subject in general, but getting out on an away mission again would be worth it.

The guard looked surprised.

"Without even a preliminary threat rating for the area?"

"Don't worry. I'm expecting no problems at all."

The guard grabbed the human by one of his upper appendages. The other appendage crushed the synthetic foam filter of his "cigarette" device into the table. The human didn't resist as the guard pulled him up out of the chair. Instead, the human stretched out its mouth. Sideways. You almost feel like it could reach his ears if he tried. You've seen no record of this facial expression in humans. You don't like it. It shows too many teeth.

"A'right, bye then, mate. Good talkin' to ya..." The human... (you cast about for the word for a moment) laughs. As the guard drags him to the medical bay, he calls back once more over his shoulder.

"Good luck with the emus!"

#writeblr #australia #emu war #emu #playpus #crocodile #kangaroo #alien #interview #ufo #My writing

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littleonabudget · 7 years

Text

So, you’re a little and you want to hide your pacis, sippys, etc. from your parents.

Unfortunately, parents aren’t always that understanding about age regression. But that’s okay! They don’t have to know, and there’s ways to keep your age regression private. Here are my tips.

1) Get a prepaid Visa.

If you want to order little stuff online but don’t want your parents asking questions, look into getting a prepaid Visa. Some of them require your parents to activate them, so make sure to check. If you think your parents would without wanting access to your account, then go for it. But if you want it more discreet, try to find one that you can just load and go.

You can usually buy these at gas stations or the gift card aisle at Wal-Mart.

2) Order from a discreetly-named website, and pretend you bought something else.

If getting a prepaid Visa doesn’t work out, you still have options! Order your little stuff from Amazon, and say you bought a book or something like that. (Make sure to have your something picked out in case they ask.)

3) Ship your stuff to a friend’s house. If you can’t, get a PO Box if you have the money to do so

If you have a friend who’s parents are less likely to snoop, ask if you can ship your stuff to their house instead.

A post office box is a box at the post office where you can have mail sent instead of your house. Then you can go and pick it up. Minors can have a post office box, so if you’re underage, no worries! The price for a post office box varies, so make sure you can realistically afford it if you’re going to go that route.

4) If you’re going to buy at the store, make sure to have a good cover story for what you’re buying.

If your parents are with you at the store, you can tell them one of your friends at school has an older brother/sister who just had a baby and you want to get them a present.

If you’re a girl, you can say you need emergency pads/tampons and ask your mom/dad to drop you off at the store and pick you up in the parking lot when you’re done. Then just buy your little stuff with it (make sure you have the little stuff on a separate receipt.) As long as the extra bulk in the bag isn’t obvious and you’re keeping it relatively hidden, they probably won’t notice.

If you can drive but your parents see you coming home with stuff and ask about what you bought, have a lie ready. If you’re a girl you can say pads/tampons or bras and they’re probably not gonna look. If you think they would anyway, try to provide a distraction. Have a bag of candy or two ready and take it out when they ask and say “Candy, want some?” That’ll be a distraction so they hopefully don’t ask questions.

5) Have really good hiding spots.

A shoebox under the bed isn’t really a good spot. Neither is your pillow case. Your parents used to be teens who hid things from their parents, too, so don’t go with your first instincts. Get creative. Think of things they’d never dream of. Here are some ideas.

⭐️ Walk into your room and look around. Pretend you’re a nosy parent snooping for your kid’s hidden stuff. Where would you look first? Avoid all those places.

⭐️ For small things such as pacis, you can hide them in hoodie pockets or pants pockets. If your parents do your laundry, this is probably not the best idea. Even if they do your laundry though, they probably dont re-wash clean and folded socks ;) You can put your pacis in a clean pair of socks and fold them up.

⭐️ A great discreet option is a fake book lockbox. Your parents wouldn’t suspect a dictionary is hiding a paci hoard! (Note: it’s not big enough for a sippy cup or bottle, so only use it for pacis and other small things.)

⭐️ Who says your closet isn’t a good hiding place? All you need are four things things: a heavy coat, a t-shirt, a hanger, and some sort of purse or bag you can put on the hanger. First, put your sippy cups, bottles, or whatever else fits, into the bag and secure it on the hanger. Hang it up in your closet, and make sure the hanger doesn’t look uneven. If all looks good, put the t-shirt on the hanger, over the bag. Finally, cover it with the heavy coat and button it up.

⭐️ One place your parents will never think to look is the air vents. Remove the front plate of the air vent and you have a perfect hiding spot! The only downside is that it’s not very easily accessible. If you go this route, make sure to wrap whatever you’re hiding in a washcloth so it doesn’t rattle around in there when the AC is on.

⭐️ If you’re a girl, a large makeup bag is a good option. Put it in your underwear drawer and have some pads/tampons on top so it looks like your feminine hygiene products are stored in there.

⭐️ If you’re allowed to keep snacks in your room, you can use a cereal box. Eat half the cereal and use the bottom of the box to store whatever will fit. Then put the bag of cereal on top.

⭐️ If your parents don’t take out your trash, you can store stuff inside the bottom of your trash can. Just lift up the plastic bag with your trash, put your stuff down at the bottom, them put the trash bag back inside. (Just make sure to always have trash inside, so you can’t see the stuff hiding at the bottom. But don’t let it get full, either, in case your parents decide to empty it themselves.)

⭐️ Have any old board games you don’t play any more? Store your stuff in there! It won’t look suspicious stashed on the top shelf of your closet. (Bonus points if you store the game somewhere else and occasionally play the game in front of your parents.) If you don’t have any, here's some cheap ones .

⭐️ If you have a bean bag, unzip it and hide stuff in there. Make sure not to store small stuff that might get lost, though!

⭐️ Get some fake flowers (here’s some nice ones for under $5) and a vase that isn’t see-through. Put your stuff in the vase, then insert the flowers. This is a cheap vase that’s big enough to hide a sippy cup inside. For added security, get some easter grass and put it inside the vase, on top of your sippy cup. It’s completely hidden!

6) My door doesn’t have a lock. What do I do?

If you’re going to spend some time being little and want to be alone, prepare in advance. Stuff a towel or blanket against the door. If someone tries to open it, it’ll only open a few inches.

If your parents ask why you did that, say you were trying on outfits and didn’t want them walking in on you.

Be sure to have a temporary hiding place to shove the pacis, bottles, etc. you’re using in case of an emergency. If you’re wearing a diaper, make sure to keep it covered or have pants nearby that you can quickly put on.

This is all the tips I have for now! If anyone has more ideas, let me know and I’ll add them to this. I hope this helps!

#advice #tips

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harderandlesspopular · 6 years

Text

Day 2: Character Motivated

Warning: Some body horror occurs in the following story, and lots of body modification!

At first it had been a simple, practical choice. In her line of work, not taking up the offer of the body modders would have been madness. There were people who didn’t--The same sort of people who insisted that the kill didn’t count if you cheated. Strange, because May had never known a monster not to cheat.

The cross embedded in the back of her forearm didn’t make her happy, per say, but it was useful. Not as useful as it would have been if she was religious, but useful enough. She kept it wrapped under a bandanna most of the time. It worked a lot better when the vamp didn’t see it before she shoved that poisoned arm under their teeth.

It was a desperation move, sacrificing some blood and some pain to incapacitate the enemy. She tried not to use it when it could be avoided.

It took her longer to decide on the more decadent mods. The crosses became normalized. A lot of hunters had them. Plenty of other people did too.

She’d seen spies with small crosses fused into their necks where a vamp would try to feed, seen young hunters with their crosses in their palms, sacrificing grip for a holy symbol in the palm of their hands. She’d seen mothers with crosses over their chests. She heard the vamp poison transferred to infants through breast milk. She wasn’t sure she believed that.

When the modders first started working with the sigil tattoos she was just entering into the second phase of her monster hunting career. Going from the beat on the street, patrolling neighborhoods and alleyways, to an outright hunter, doing the tracking and the killing rather than merely guarding. She’d consulted with her superiors, and been given a flat ‘anything that keeps you alive longer.’

She got two sigils to start. On her left shoulder a simple lighting sigil that required only a hard slap to activate a shine like a flashlight. On her left hip she received a sound sigil. Trace her fingers around it clockwise and whatever noise she was making increased. Handy for calling in backup. Trace her fingers the other way, and it muted her movements, her breathing, her natural sounds. She could still kick a rock and the rock would scatter, but everything from her panting to the ruffle of her clothes she could dampen down to almost nothing.

They were expensive, and she had to cut holes in her clothes to use them. And worse, they gave a dull shine most of the time, even if they were inactive. But in time she put them to good use. The light sigil kept her abreast in the nocturnal dens, and gave her a brief advantage if she could blind her enemy, and the sound sigil? There were at least two wolf encounters after which she credited that mark with her life.

Shen she got the sigils of secrecy tattooed across her lips, so she could speak only to the ears which she intended, her mother finally commented.

“It’s just… A little much.” She said.

“It keeps my friends and I safe, mom.” May said, and though her mother didn’t like it, she at least accepted that.

The marks on her lips glowed green when she touched her forefinger to her lips and spoke to the one she thought of. Her commander received updates, and though she still wore an earpiece, they rarely needed to give her a mic anymore.

When she slept with her partner Diana, all their sigils glowed in the dark. Diana’s lips traced the ragged cross and the many scars around it. Both of them trailed their fingers around their sound sigils, and made not a sound. Both of them spent their secret hours pressing their fingertips to their own lips to whisper adoration to no one’s ears but each other’s.

Diana got the monster’s eye first. May got it only a week after. Just one eye, replaced with that of a monster, well preserved and heavily altered to fit well. It was a pity, replacing body parts. Becoming more like that which they hated. But it was necessary in their changing world.

“You’re still beautiful like this,” Diana whispered, a finger over her dark-red lips. The sigil glowed green past her lipstick. Her new eye shone unnaturally in the light of the tv at night.

May was not a vain woman, but she spent more and more time looking in the mirror, trying to decide whether she was alright with the cost. Her left eye was reptile. She had special eye drops for it. Her lips carried the sigil, glowing ever so slightly all the time. She met her own eyes in the mirror before she set to use the blood magic she’d learned and carved a summoning circle into her palm.

Her sound sigil kept her screams from catching.

“I’m worried about you,” Diana said, both hands on May’s bandaged palm. It was strange not to hear her voice in a magically intimate whisper.

“I know,” May said softly. “It will help. All of this is to help.”

It did help. She was very good at killing monsters.

She bound two things to her summoning circle. Bullets if she tapped it twice, her knife if she slashed her finger across it. It cost something, but everything did. They had to be in a specific location. In the dark days, it would have been, like, a cave. Now she had her own private lockbox at work that she’d been allowed to set up as her summoning circle.

“Beware the Ides of May,” Her boss said once, jokingly, and clapped her on the shoulder. It was the one with the flashlight, and his affection turned it on. May laughed, but it felt distant. Her reptile eye was aching. She needed more eye drops.

Diana’s cat eye started crying blood when they made love. It was unpleasant for both of them, but not the most unpleasant thing they’d run across. She started wearing an eyepatch at night, and when their new neighbors started moaning too loudly, they unanimously turned up their sound sigils to drown them out.

“It’s complicated,” May told her mother, her hands spread before her, a warped tattoo of red ink traced around her finger like a wedding band.

“But you do love her?” Her mother asked, holding May’s hand in both of her own.

“Absolutely.” Said May. She kept her reptile eye under an eyepatch around her mother. Usually she kept a glove on her scarred hand as well. But she’d wanted to show this part, at least.

“Well.” He mother murmured. Then “well” again, and May knew she was trying to find something helpful to say.

“I don’t suppose you could wear a normal band too?” She asked at last, and May found herself smiling.

“I probably could.”

Silver was good in their line of work. Her mother funded the rings. Both argentum silver, one for both of them.

“Vows would be difficult,” Diana whispered, not into her finger, but into May’s ear. “Do we have to have a wedding?”

“My mom would really like it,” May said, the wedding band tattooed on her finger burning fondly with the magic imbued by Diana. It was their chosen red strand. In times of trouble, they could unwind their tattoos and follow which way the ink pointed to each other. “Why, what were you thinking for vows?”

“Well, it’s hard to say something more powerful than what we do. I’d kill ghouls for you, and drag you out of the teeth of mimics, and exercise the world, even my favorite ghosts, if it kept you safe.”

“Romantic,” May drawled. The cross in her arm itched. It had ever since they gave her the fangs. No vampire in them anymore, they’d promised. Just a new weapon. Daggers for the mouth. They were even retractable. But the cross didn’t like them.

“Would they let us in a church?” Diana asked.

The cloth of her eyepatch was slightly damp against May’s cheek. Bleeding again, but ignored. So many things between them were bleeding.

“Doesn’t have to be a church.” May answered. “Let’s have it in the sunlight somewhere.”

She didn’t say ‘while we can still stand it,’ but she thought about adding that. They’d realized a long time ago that they’d changed themselves for good. Somewhere between that first augmentation, gotten for necessity, and their latest, the bonds they’d chosen together.

Some days, May wondered what kept it all separate anymore.

When they sild the silver wedding bands over their tattoos, there were people crying. And when they kissed, their teeth too sharp, their bodies not entirely their own, people whooped with joy for them.

It’s enough for me, May whispered, her finger to her lips, her makeup smeared with tears below her human eye.

It’s enough, Diana replied, and kissed her again in the sunlight that only burned a little.

#Junes30Firsts #Day Two #Character Motivated #Monster Hunting Body Mods #I meant this to be a lot more internalized and angsty #but I really like how it turned out #So now these two are instant favorites of mine #cw body horror #cw body modification #cw self harm #(sort of)#Original Fiction

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seasauvage787 · 7 years

Text

A Heart To Come Home To The Jonsa Gift Exchange:Milestones

for @geekprincess26 hope you enjoy!

The first time Jon and Sansa meet.... or is it?

Sansa Stark took the phone call. The man on the other end hesitated before he spoke.

“Hello, I…um… am looking to purchase an older home that needs to be restored. Kind of a fixer-upper.”

“You are interested in moving up north?” asked Sansa trying to get some more concrete information.

“I’m kind of interested in finding a calm place, a place I can work on.”

“And you currently live in Kings Landing?”

“Kind of. Not really. I stay with my parents most of the time. I have to travel a lot with my job, so I live in hotels more or less.”

“We have plenty of older properties that we represent here in Wintertown and all the way up to The Gift. Winterfell Realty Associates pride ourselves in our selection of unique properties.”

“Yes, I was referred by a friend who relocated north. Brianne Tarth.”

“Oh yes, my sister worked with her. She found her a lovely home last year. In fact, my sister is currently working with Ms. Tarth to acquire an old armory to turn into a fencing academy.

“Ms. Stark, I have a tight schedule. Is there any chance that you could show me some properties? I will be out of the country for the next 2 or 3 weeks.”

“I can certainly make arrangements. Will the day after tomorrow suit?”

“Could we make it tomorrow? I’m already here in town visiting friends. Do you know the Tarleys?”

“I’m afraid I don’t. I usually like to give a days notice for the sellers to ready their property.”

“Actually, since I’m looking for something that will be a project, I don’t think condition will matter.”

“Well then, Mr….? I’m sorry, I don’t think I got your name. And we’ve had such a long conversation. I’m terribly sorry.”

“Sorry, I didn’t actually introduce myself. I’m Jon Snow.”

“Certainly, Mr. Snow. I’ll be busy setting things up today. What time will be good for you tomorrow?”

“I’d like to get an early start. Does 10:00 am work for you?”

“Yes, that will be wonderful. Thank you for calling Winterfell Realty Associates.”

“I’ll be at your offices at 10:00, then. Thank you Ms. Stark. I look forward to meeting you tomorrow.”

“Yes. Thank you Mr. Snow.”

Sansa hung up the phone and literally screamed “Arya, oh my fucking gods where are you? Get over here! I just got off the phone with Jon fucking yes, Jon fucking Snow.”

“Yeah, how do you know that? I bet you just got pranked.”

“Because he said that he was friends with Brianne Tarth. Remember you told me that she was the fencing consultant on that gladiator or something movie. And aren't you working with her right now to buy the old armory for her fencing academy? She referred him.”

“Yes, I am but that's beside the point. You are so shitting me. That can't be. This is the north. There's tons of people up here whose last name is Snow.”

“And are they all named Jon? Doubt that one.”

“Oh yeah. How many Jon fucking Snows are there? Google it.”

“I don't know how many Jon Snow's there are and I’m not going to google anything. It sounded like him. You know, that kind of husky... growly... sexy kind of voice.”

“All right Sansa, now you are imagining things. I bet you’ve never even seen his movies or TV show!”

“If you think I'm imagining things, then listen to this. He said he wanted to buy an old place that he could fix up. He said he travels a lot and needed a calm place.”

“I won't believe it till I see him.”

“You will tomorrow when he shows up to go looking at houses with me.”

“Then you better get your ass going and find some properties to show him. Maybe I should call him back. Ask him to be a little more specific and I’ll be the one showing him houses!”

“Oh no, you won't. This is mine. I took the call, I’m going to do the work and I get to take him to tour the properties.”

Sansa was on the computer and phone for the rest of the day. She looked through all of the properties they were representing and the MLS for the region. She was frustrated that she only came up with a handful of potentials.

Lucky for her the unique properties were all represented by Winterfell Realty Associates. She found a loft in the warehouse district of Wintertown, an ancient homestead with major wooded acreage on the edge of Long Lake, about 50 miles north, a creepy windmill with a couple acres of pasture 30 miles away, and an decrepit log cabin in the middle of the Wolfswood just 10 miles out of town.

She was sure from his vague description that he probably wouldn’t be interested in the loft, but it was located in the historic district where Brianne Tarth was looking to purchase. So it was worth a shot.

She ran a search on the Tarleys. They lived on the edge of Wintertown in one of the newer suburbs that were springing up around the University of the Northlands. They must be affiliated with the school. Why else would people move north?

Sansa left her office after everyone else had gone for the day. Since she finished her MBA a year early, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. So she went back to her family home at Winterfell and worked with her father and sister in the family’s real estate business. Actually, she was grateful. She had rushed through her BA in History, but at 20 she felt too young to be a high school teacher. Of course, she then rushed through her MBA as if the added degree would give her more direction. Not really. Not yet anyway.

All evening, Sansa was mulling these things over in her head. She was glad that everybody was out of the house for once, even the boys. Everyone had someplace to go except Sansa. She had a glass of wine with dinner and another as she sat at her computer scanning the MLS again. Maybe if I watch his TV show, I can match his voice. I know what he looks like. What he looks like on TV in character, anyway.

Sansa signed into the family’s HBO To Go account and pulled up Jon Snow’s series. She didn’t really follow Path of Honor. It was a semi historical drama set in England and she hated when they got the history wrong. Her logical mind just refused to make that leap into fantasy. She didn’t like Lord of the Rings, either. Sansa cued up the latest episode and sat down on the couch with her third glass of wine.

She was standing in a huge drafty room. It was cold even though there was a roaring fire. She had her coat and gloves on, but she could still feel the bitter bone deep cold. Sansa looked down to rebutton her coat. There were no buttons, in fact she was wearing some sort of woolen and fluffy fur cape and a very heavy long dress that felt like leather armor. The dress itched where it caught her waist and down the front of her legs, even through the thick woolen stockings. She was definitely not wearing high heels.

The door at the far end of the room slammed open and a group of men in huge fur cloaks and similar leather armor strode into the room. This brought a strong gust of cold wind sweeping through, causing the candles to stutter. She watched the dark haired man at the front of the group stride assuredly toward her. He was frowning in the most handsome way. As he approached, she saw that his consternation was fading the closer he got to her. Sansa took in a deep breath as he knelt before her.

“My Lady Sansa. I am most humbly at your service.” he said and lowered his head.

She watched in stunned silence as he turned his head slightly to look up at her through thick dark lashes. He winked as he took her hand in his. He kissed it and whispered “My love.” into the palm of her hand.

Sansa woke up disoriented. She looked around. She was stretched out on the couch and the TV was on the home screen. Clearly she had slept through the show. It was 2:00 am, so she clicked off the screen and went upstairs to bed.

Sansa was looking out of a window on an upper floor of some sort of stone tower. There were people sparring with longswords below in the training yard. She could hear the metal clash and scrape. The two men moved like dancers and the arc of their swords careening toward impact was mesmerizing. Did they know she was watching? She hoped not. She leaned out to get a better view. As she did, her elbow knocked a loose stone from the ledge. She watched it fall in slow motion and land with a thud. The two men froze, then looked toward the sky expecting an attack.

“Oops, sorry.” she called down to them feeling her face flush with embarrassment.

The man with the dark hair turned toward the sound of her voice. He smiled.

“Why Lady Sansa, I didn’t know you were interested in our daily training.”

“Oh. Yes, of course. Everything that keeps us safe, I guess.”

“My Lady, I am always here to keep you safe.”

Sansa woke at the sound of her alarm. What crazy dreams! She got herself together over a cup of Earl Grey that her mother had left in the teapot. After her shower, she did her makeup carefully. Too much blush or lip and Arya would accuse her of flirting. She could hear Arya upstairs and was determined to get out of the house before her. Sansa knew they were going to be driving around all day and walking each property, so she decided that a suit wasn’t the best idea. Instead she chose a pair of tan leather jodpers and cream silk blouse. She grabbed a fuzzy wool sweater and her trainers just in case, to protect her new suede boots. She stuffed everything into a huge bag she used for her yoga mat and gym clothes. There were already four bottled waters at the bottom. She gave herself a once over in the hall mirror and walked out to her car.

It was 8:30 when she unlocked the main door to the office. She flicked on lights on the way to her office and set the pot to brew up some coffee. Sansa walked around straightening things before going back to her office to check addresses, contacts, lockbox keys and anything else she might need. It was only 8:45. A bit more than an hour until her celebrity client arrived. Wouldn’t it be hysterical if it wasn’t THE Jon Snow. Arya will never let me live this down.

Sansa went back to her office. Curiosity was killing her. She googled Jon Snow and clicked images. Hundreds of them appeared instantly. Jon Snow in costume, in street clothes, publicity shots. Ok, so if it’s actually him, I’ll know it. She glanced at the clock. At 9:30, Arya walked into her office.

“I’m hanging with you until he comes. I’ve seen every episode of Path of Honor at least 4 times. I think I deserve at least a selfie, don’t you?”

“Since when are you a fan girl?”

“I’m a secret fan girl. Come on, any show with sword fights is my type of entertainment.”

“It’s about 10:00, he should be here.”

“He isn’t, so there. See, I told you that you got pranked. Probably by your crazy ex bae, Joffrey. Why is a ‘to die for’ celebrity going to want to buy a house up here? And a fixer upper at that. Come on Sansa.”

“I’m going to reserve judgement on that until I meet him.”

The minutes passed. 10:05, 10:10, 10:12....... At 10:24, the office door to Winterfell Realty Associates opened. By this time, they had migrated to the foyer in anticipation.

“This is quite the welcoming party. For me? asked Ned Stark. “Or are you waiting for the young man just parking his car?”

“The man parking the car, of course.” replied Sansa. “I have an appointment to show him some properties today.”

“Then Arya, you scatter.You both look like..... I don’t know what you look like but, it’s intimidating. You two look ready to pounce, that’s it, like girls waiting for an autograph from a movie star.”

“Dad,” started Arya “Autographs are out of style. Selfies are so much better.”

“Don’t you dare, Arya.” said her father with mock sternness.

“Then you know who he is?” asked Sansa.

“Of course, I watch Path of Honor every Sunday. Your mother and I wouldn’t miss it.”

As they were all talking, Jon Snow quietly walked in the door. He stood there waiting until Ned looked up. He stepped forward and extended his hand to Jon and shook it heartily.

“Nice to hear that you follow our show. Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

“I do, I do too.” added Arya extending her hand and energetically shaking Jon’s. “I love the sword fights. I’m a fencer.”

“Yes, I love the fight scenes. You’re working with Brianne on her fencing academy, am I correct?”

“Hi, I’m Sansa Stark. We spoke yesterday. I have some properties per your request. They range from from about 50 miles out of town on Long Lake to here in town.” She said in a very business like manner, hoping to get past any discussion about his show. She didn’t want to admit her lack of enthusiasm.

“Sounds like a day. Shall we get going, then. Do you mind if I drive?” asked Jon. “I love it up here.”

“Not at all. I’ll get my things and we can be on our way.”

Jon followed her down the hall and into her office. Sansa didn’t realize he was standing there as she turned with her iPad, purse and bag stuffed to the brim. Her bag caught on the desk corner and the contents began to cascade out. As she reached out, she lost her balance, falling awkwardly toward Jon. He caught her in his arms and held her for the longest 30 seconds of her life.

“Oops, sorry.” she said very flustered and embarrassed.

“I am always here to keep you safe.” he replied.

#jonsaexchange #jon x sansa #actuallyjonsa #AO3 #milestones

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iwasnthere622 · 7 years

Text

Hi My Name Is... (Ch. 3)

AO3 Link

Jaylee moved quickly, locking up the house and grabbing her lockbox, shutting herself up in the bathroom. She had a solid three hours before she'd have to worry about cleanup and she didn't want to waste a second of it.

She propped her phone on the counter as she dug around and pulled out the different things that she would need, loading the video she'd bookmarked a week ago. It was a new one from her favorite makeup artist and the look was amazing and she wanted to try it.

She followed along slowly, priming her face, applying highlighter and contouring and blending, making it work despite none of it quite being her skin tone's natural shades. She didn't have any setting powder, but then again she wasn't doing this look to last so she skipped that step, moving on to her eyes.

It took a while to get the gradient right because she didn't quite have the shades for it, but when she finished and looked in the mirror... it actually didn't look that bad. It was even, which was the hardest part according to everyone she watched, and the purple color actually made her eyes look really bright.

Encouraged, she picked up the eyeliner she'd stolen from Kim and watched that part of the video, rewatching a few times until she felt confident enough to try, leaning close to the mirror and keeping her hand steady, wanting to do the wings at the ends.

These didn't end up quite as even, but she didn't hate it, putting on mascara and then picking out a lip color from the few she had. She ended up with a nude color that just made her lips a bit pinker and shinier.

She finished, pressing her lips together one last time, before leaning back and blinking at herself in the mirror.

She reached up to tug at her hair, at the way it was just starting to curl behind her ears -- getting long, her dad mentioned going for a cut soon just the other day -- but the curl helped with the image she was trying to create, able to imagine her hair longer and fuller and framing her face.

Smiling to herself, she grabbed the bottle of clear nail polish she'd borrowed from Pearl and sat on the edge of the tub to apply a fresh coat to her nails -- this at least she could keep on and no one noticed.

She nearly dropped the bottle when her phone started ringing on the counter, only her faster reflexes saving it from spilling everywhere. She set it aside and reached for her phone, heart racing. Zack?

"Hello?" she said, answering and immediately bolting up into a stand at the chaos on the other line. "Zack?!"

"Putties!" Zack shouted, a loud crash sounding as she got an earful of Mandarin curses. "At work, I can't -- fucking -- morph!"

"Hold on, we're coming!" Jaylee said, hanging up and quickly dialing Trini. "Putties are attacking Zack at work, he can't morph!" she shouted, shoving makeup into her lockbox and hanging up on Trini when she started cursing, knowing she'd get to Zack as fast as possible.

She slammed the box closed, looking around frantically for anything she missed as she called Kim and repeated the message, hanging up and dialing Billy last. She hung up and spun around, meeting her own panicked eyes in the mirror.

The makeup!

Zack needed her, needed everyone, she didn't have time to remove it properly, it took forever to take off eye stuff, why did she do a full face...!

She didn't have a choice -- her team needed her. She ran out of the room, hiding her box and throwing open her bedroom window, morphing and jumping out, belatedly hoping none of the neighbors were watching as she ran into town.

Trini was already there, smashing putties who were destroying the diner where Zack was a waiter. "Black?!" she yelled, shoving in right next to Trini.

"Don't know!" Trini answered, frustration and worry clear in her tone if you knew her.

Kim and Billy showed up just as they made it inside, people hiding in the booths screaming and crying in terror, most of the place destroyed, with another six putties bashing their way into the back.

"Pink, get the people out of here," Jaylee ordered firmly. "Blue, Yellow, let's finish this!"

She charged forward with Billy and Trini, leaving Kim to get everyone out and away from the diner, searching for Zack but unable to call his name, as that would be too dangerously close to revealing his identity.

Trini and Billy made a hole in the putties and Jaylee dove through it, finding Zack backed into a storage closet with two girls hiding behind him, the teen brandishing a mop.

Relief flooded her that Zack was okay, tapping her helmet to switch to internal comms. "Found Zack, he's okay," she said, switching back to the open channel. "It's okay, you're safe," she said, grinning back at Zack though he couldn't see it through her mask, turning back around to fight the putties from this side.

The putties were quickly turned to dust with three rangers focused on them, and Jaylee helped Zack lead the two girls out, who seemed to be in shock.

Kim stepped up to join them as they exited the diner -- or what was left of it -- Jaylee watching the girls and Zack head over to the rest of their coworkers. She nodded at Zack, then tilted her head in the direction of the mine, watching him grin and hoping he'd gotten the message.

"Let's go!" she said, leading the morphed rangers away and up to the mine, stopping them at the cliff overlooking the water entrance to the ship.

"That was crazy!" Billy said once they were alone.

Kim nodded. "I'm just glad Zack's okay."

"He should be here in a minute," Jaylee said. "If he got my message."

"Do you think the putties knew he was there, did they attack him?" Trini asked, hard edge in her voice.

"You think...?" Kim asked, clearly not having thought of that.

Jaylee shook her head. "I don't know. But I think we all need to be extra careful, now."

"You got that right," Zack said, huffing as he ran up.

"Zack!" Kim said, hugging him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Kinda weird to be hugging you when I'm not morphed, too," Zack laughed, the press of the armor interesting to feel on this side.

They laughed, all demorphing.

"So were you really planning on fighting putties with a mop?" Trini asked, punching Zack's shoulder, teasing.

Zack rolled his eyes, knowing he'd worried her -- worried everyone. "Well I had to do something! There were too many people, I couldn't morph, and it's not like I could let them see me smash them with my bare hands, either," he protested.

"That was quick thinking," Billy agreed, smiling at him.

"See, Billy approves," Zack laughed. "I'm just glad Bossman got the bat signal out to you guys so quickly!" he continued, turning to grin at Jason, blinking in confusion.

Jaylee had gotten so caught up in the relief of getting to Zack in time, protecting the team, adrenaline crashing as they all joked and laughed and everyone was okay, that when they demorphed, she did, too, without thinking, it an ingrained habit.

She'd forgotten about the makeup, until Zack was suddenly grinning at her in confusion and now everyone was staring.

Her heart started racing, stomach dropping out completely, feeling like she was going to be sick, breaths short and panicked. She quickly pulled on her armor, the morphing grid responding to her fear -- she was terrified, she'd ruined everything -- and quickly morphed again.

"I'll report to Zordon, you guys go home," she said quickly, voice shaking, throwing herself off the edge of the cliff and sailing into the water with a splash.

She stumbled as she landed, looking up but no one was following her which was good... oh god... what was she going to do, what could she possibly tell them to make this okay?

She felt like the walls were closing in around her, finding it hard to breathe, tears pricking her eyes though she tried her best to swallow them down.

It took ten minutes before she felt controlled enough to walk to the ship, shoving everything down -- she was good at that, she'd handle it, tell them she was playing with Pearl, make any excuse, bury it -- and heading to the command room.

"Master Jason?" Alpha-5 said, clearly surprised to see her.

"The putties attacked Zack at work," Jaylee said shortly, giving Zordon and Alpha-5 the full report of what had happened.

"You did a good job of protecting your team," Zordon said. "But it's troubling to think the putties would have enough access to Rita's lingering power to be able to track you..."

"So this wasn't a coincidence," Jaylee said, worried.

"I'll run some scans," Alpha-5 said.

"Be cautious," Zordon said, Jaylee nodding and heading out.

She walked slowly back to the water entrance, staring up at it, trying to psych herself up. It was fine, she'd told Kim Pearl likes to do makeup for other people, she could just lie and say Pearl did it, they'd probably tease her a bit but they'd accept it as her being a good sibling.

Comforting herself with the thought, she jumped back up and landed on the cliff, standing and stilling at the sight of everyone sitting around, apparently waiting for her.

"What did Zordon say?" Trini asked when no one moved or said anything, Jaylee keeping her armor on.

"He doesn't think it was a coincidence, he thinks the putties are pulling on Rita's power to track us," Jaylee answered.

"What about our families?" Zack asked, worry clear in his tone and posture.

"We'll protect them, all of them," Jaylee promised, voice firm. "Alpha-5's working on something, maybe it can find the source."

"We can't be with our families all the time, though," Kim said, worrying her lip, glancing at Jaylee and then away, Jaylee not quite prepared for the hurt that stabbed through her in response.

"They should only be able to track us, though, so when we aren't with them, our families are probably safer," Billy pointed out.

"Great," Trini muttered.

"We'll figure it out," Jaylee said, already mentally preparing to do nightly checks on the town, to up their awareness.

They fell silent, all worried and trying to think of ways to protect everyone.

"Jase?" Kim said hesitantly.

Jaylee stiffened, heart picking up, hands flexing. "...Yeah?"

"It's... okay, if you like makeup," Kim said hesitantly, Billy nodding encouragingly next to her.

"That's not a girls-only thing, you know. I do eyeliner all the time," Zack added.

Trini rolled her eyes. "We know, Zack, you always run around yelling at us to look when you get it winged."

"Well, yeah, you guys gotta appreciate my art," Zack grinned.

"So it's okay," Kim said, smiling at Jaylee. "You're still a guy even if you like it."

"We would never make fun of you for something you liked," Billy said earnestly.

"Well, we'd probably tease," Zack mused, yelping when Trini smacked him. "What, I'm being honest! We wouldn't take it too far, though!"

"It's fine," Jaylee choked out, grateful to the armor for making her voice even. "It was Pearl anyway--"

"I thought Pearl had gymnastics class on Thursdays," Billy said, frowning.

"Yeah, don't you usually have the house to yourself today if your dad is working, since your mom has to take her to the class?" Kim added.

Jaylee sucked in a breath in panic -- why did they all know her family's schedule?! -- stammering out, "Y-yeah."

"Look, Kim was right. It's cool if you like traditionally feminine stuff," Trini said, tackling it head on and not wasting any words, something Jaylee usually loved her for but now was making her heart race and her palms sweat and her eyes burn. "We've all seen you dancing around some stuff and we just want you to know you don't have to hide anything from us. You're still Jason, the Red Ranger, regardless of what you like. And society's gender roles are fucking useless anyway, so fuck them. Do what you want, J. We've got your back."

"Yeah, dude," Zack said. "It's totally cool, do what you want. You're still a guy and besides, girly shit is fun sometimes."

"Well, as long as what you want isn't, like, mass murder," Kim teased. "We aren't jerks who would judge you for something like this, Jase."

"Well, technically, we are all mass murderers considering how many putties we have killed," Billy pointed out. "They are technically sentient so I think it counts as murder when we stop them."

"Okay, so you can even be a mass murderer," Kim laughed.

"Not of people," Billy clarified, "just putties. But yes, you should be able to like what you want. We're your friends."

"I..." Jaylee said, not knowing what to do, listening to their support but for the wrong thing, shaking because she should just accept it, it'd make everything so much easier, but that felt like she'd be confirming she was guy and she wasn't and while she'd never told anyone she was a woman, she'd also never told anyone she was a man, either, people just took one look at her and assumed and it would break something in her to confirm that assumption.

"J, we're good," Trini said, smiling softly. "You're a badass dude, even in purple eyeshadow."

"Seriously, man, I didn't get that good a look but damn your liner is on point," Zack complimented easily.

"Jason," Kim said softly. "It's okay, I promise. We don't see you any differently, you're still a guy, the leader... our friend."

They all just kept saying it, over and over, just assuming that she was a guy who liked makeup and that was fine -- Zack was a guy who liked makeup -- but that wasn't her, and her chest ached and her eyes burned and she just needed them to stop saying it.

"I'm not," she said, all of them blinking at her in confusion and she flexed her hands, terrified, god, so terrified but somehow the idea of coming out to them was less terrifying then accepting the lie. She was so tired of pretending and they were asking her to basically say the pretend life she presented was the real one when it wasn't and the reckless courage that got her into all the trouble she'd ever been in in her life welled up and she couldn't hold it back. She refused to.

"Not what?" Kim asked confused.

"A guy," Jaylee answered, keeping her head up because if she was doing this, she was doing this. "I'm not a guy."

"Okay," Zack said slowly, dragging the word out, clearly confused.

"I'm a girl. I've always been a girl. You all just assume, everyone assumes I'm a guy but I'm not," Jaylee said, breathing in short pants, feeling lightheaded with how hard her heart was beating. "I'm a girl."

"You're trans?" Trini asked, the first to get it.

Jaylee nodded, studying the rest of them.

"Fuck," Zack whispered, eyes wide, staring at her.

"Oh my god," Kim said, sharing a look with Billy.

"What's your name?" Trini asked, stepping forward.

"Jaylee," Jaylee answered, voice a bit shaky because she'd never actually said it out loud.

Trini nodded. "Hi, Jaylee. I'm Trini," she said, offering her hand.

Jaylee stared at her, glancing down at her hand then back up at her face, cautiously reaching out to shake her hand.

Trini gripped her hand tight. "Can you demorph?" she asked quietly.

Jaylee glanced around, they were all staring again, it looked like Kim might start crying, and she was confused and scared. But it's not like she was hiding anything now, they knew, so she let the armor dissolve, letting go of Trini's hand.

She stumbled back a step when Trini hugged her tight, cautiously returning the hug, just waiting for them to shove her away, call her a freak, tell her to give up her power coin...

"I'm sorry," Trini said when she pulled back, "for assuming. I'm so sorry."

"Me too!" Billy said, stepping up closer but not touching her. "I saw that you didn't seem to like your name, but I didn't guess... I'm sorry. I should have asked."

"I'm so sorry, Jase -- fuck, I'm sorry," Kim said, pulling her into a hug and feeling her flinch at her slip up. "I'm sorry."

Zack punched her on the arm -- when had he walked over? -- grinning at her. "Just like I thought, killer liner, girl," he said, and it was something about the easy acceptance in his voice -- in all their voices -- that made the tears Jaylee had been swallowing down finally spill over.

They all moved to hug her, collapsing into a pile right there on top of the cliff and letting her cry.

She clung to them, afraid they would leave, slowly calming down, makeup ruined now and smeared by her tears.

"It's... this is really okay?" she asked, trembling.

"Of course it is," Kim said firmly.

Jaylee wiped at her face. "I look like a freak," she mumbled, knowing she wasn't as pretty as Kim or Trini and knowing she'd ruined her makeup and knowing that it didn't look quite as right on her as it did on real women.

"Hey," Trini said, waiting for Jaylee to meet her eyes. "You are not a freak."

"You're fucking gorgeous," Zack said.

"You are really pretty," Billy agreed.

Jaylee laughed, wiping away tears and snot, looking around at them all.

"So, you've really been a girl the whole time?" Kim asked.

Jaylee nodded, nerves coiling.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Billy asked.

Jaylee sighed. "I'm Jason Scott," she said, mouth twisting around the name she hated. "You wouldn't have believed me."

"Dumbass, of course we would have," Trini said, smacking her shoulder.

"Yeah, dude," Zack said, feeling Jaylee stiffen and stiffening himself. "Ah, shit, sorry. Dudette."

"It's fine, I'm used to it," Jaylee said.

"That's bullshit," Kim said. "You should get to be who you are and be called what you want."

"Definitely," Zack agreed.

"Does anyone else know?" Billy asked.

Jaylee shook her head. "No..."

"We'll keep the secret," Trini promised, not about to forcibly out her.

Jaylee slumped into them, not sure she really believed this was happening but relieved at how it was going. "Thank you," she whispered.

"C'mon, we're having an emergency sleepover at my place," Kim decided. "My parents are out of town, and we need to get to know Jaylee better."

"Good idea," Billy grinned.

"I'm totally in," Zack said.

"Red?" Trini asked, smiling at her -- you're still the leader of this team.

Jaylee sucked in a breath, smiling hesitantly. "Okay."

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writingwithadinosaur · 7 years

Text

“Tightrope Walking” - Part 2

(Part 1)

My Masterlist - Here

Bruce Wayne x Reader - Romantic Relationship

Jim Gordon x Reader - Father/Daughter Relationship

Jerome Valeska x Reader - Past Friendship

Word Count: 2868

Key: Y/N = Your Name, L/N = Your Last Name, H/C = Your Hair Color, E/C = Your Eye Color

Warnings: Cursing, talk of murder

Summary: With the return of Jerome, it’s time for your boyfriend, Bruce, to finally hear about your past.

Author’s Note: This is going to be a 4 or 5 part story, and I hope I can do it justice! Please be patient with me! These are also all going to be a bit lengthier, but I will try my best to not make them insanely long! I also made Bruce and the reader college aged. Not too old though. Maybe 17 or 18? I figured it would make more sense this way.

If you would like to be tagged in any of my future pieces (All Works, Specific Fandoms, or Specific Multi-Parts), please let me know! And as always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

- DreaSaurusREX

4 years ago, you’re parents disappeared. They were times you heard them with people who were from the bad parts of town. You knew how bad the foster system would be, so you packed a backpack full of essentials and went on your own. It wasn’t until after you ran away that you found out just who your parents really were. They worked for one of the gang leaders in a city about an hour out from Gotham.

You didn’t really have any destination in mind. You just wandered for a while until you saw a flyer on a newsstand for Haly’s Circus. It was a traveling circus that was setting up for a weekend of shows at the local fairgrounds. You were able to crack into your parent’s lockbox and take some cash, so you weren’t worried about money yet. Why not go to the circus? Maybe it can be a movie moment where you actually run away with them.

You didn’t expect that last part to ring true.

When you finally made it to the big top, you were in awe. You always loved the circus, you just hadn’t ever been to one. There were so many things to do before the show. Play carnival games, get a snack, meet some of the performers that were wandering around, interacting with guests. You saw a sort of shooting game where you had to shoot at cutouts of ducks that had targets on their backs.

“Woah there, sweetcheeks! You sure you’re up for this game?” The ginger teenager operating the game questioned. He didn’t look more than a year or two older than yourself. His sort of sexist comment made you even more determined to prove him wrong. You had learned how to use a gun thanks to your parents. So when you hit every target perfectly, it was no shock to you, but certainly to the boy. He laughed loudly. That laugh… So different from any you have heard or will hear.

“Well damn. What’s your name, beautiful?” You told him your name and shook his hand. You both started talking. His name was Jerome Valeska, his mother was the snake lady, and he had kind of a messed up life as well. But he made the best of it.

“So got any cute boyfriend or protective daddy around here?” You laughed a bit and shook your head no. You didn’t mean for the rest to slip out.

“No. I’m alone. My parents disappeared a few days ago and I just up and left. I had nowhere else to go, so I figured I’d have some fun before really trying to figure out where the hell I am going or what I’m going to do for survival.”

When he heard your story, he was taken aback. You seemed so independent and strong, but he could tell that that was a partial act. Jerome didn’t want to fully admit this, but he had a sort of fondness for you. He knows how shitty it feels to be alone, and couldn’t imagine having no one in his life. How you’ve done it was a mystery to him.

The announcer came on the intercoms to warn everyone that the show was going to start soon and for the audience to find their seats.

“Well, I guess that’s my cue to go. I loved talking to you-” You started to say goodbye even though you really didn’t want to. Jerome was your only friend right now, and you loved it. So you were hopeful when he interrupted you.

“Do you want to watch the show with me? I can tell you about each act and I can take you backstage and meet everyone afterwards too.” You could tell that he actually wanted to spend more time with you. You gladly accepted his offer.

You both then sit together in a middle section of the seating area. As the different performances come out, you are amazed! Seeing everyone flip and tumble and juggle and do what they do introduced you to a whole new world. You wanted to be a part of this world, but how?

Jerome stayed true to his word and took you backstage afterwards. The last person he wanted to introduce you to was the ringleader. As soon as Jerome saw him, he turned to you.

“I got a plan. Just let me do all the talkin’.” Before you could ask him for clarification, he turned back and went up to the ringleader. He introduced you to him and then kept talking.

“So, (Y/N) here is alone. Parents are gone, no friends, no family. So I figured, she could join ours.” You couldn’t believe what you had just heard. The rest of the conversation was between the two guys, but you stood in shock.

After all of the talking, you were given the small extra caravan that had just been emptied. You made that little place and the circus your home for the next 2 years. You were able to train with the performers and actually ended up being a jack of all trades. You could fill in for almost anyone after only 6 or 7 months of training, you knew your way around the tech part of the circus, and you were always able to help you with the carnival games or food stands.

Jerome became your best friend and go to guy for anything and everything. He would work the booths with you, help you clean up after shows, and even spot you when you trained. You both found a tightrope set up in one of the storage containers. The couple who did that act moved on awhile ago. Jerome got an idea.

“How’s your balance, sweetcheeks?” He had a smile on his face, and you were nervous at the thought of being so high up. But something inside of you said that you could do it.

So for the next few months, you both set up the tightrope (and net) and practiced after hours while everyone was asleep. Jerome watched comfortably from the ground. He was super supportive and worried about your safety.

You had actually gotten really good at being on the tightrope. It was oddly relaxing. You slowly started to build a sort of routine. Never in a million years would you think you would actually perform it in front of anyone other than Jerome.

On the one year anniversary of you joining Haly’s circus, you were surprised by the ringleader. Starting in the next city, you were going to have your very own act on the tightrope. That was also the night that you and Jerome became a bit more than friends.

For the next year, you performed your act in front of crowds from about 45 different cities across the United States. The first performance was nerve wracking, but then you improved and kept growing. You had never felt this good about yourself. When you were up high above everyone else, you felt invincible and like you were wanted. Wanted by not only the audience, but by a certain circus boy who insisted on being one of the ones who watched you and made sure you safe during every performance. He was always right below you, ready to catch you if the net gave out or your safety harness broke.

You and Jerome had also gotten very close outside of the performance. You were his escape and oasis in this circus world. You two had your fights and spats just like any other couple. But things weren’t bad until one particularly brutal experience with his mom. It changed him. He became more angry and transformed into this unrecognizable person that was not the Jerome you fell in love with.

While you were thankful for everything the circus had done for you in your time of need, you felt the overwhelming need to move on. You spent two years of your life traveling, but not really moving anywhere in life. You needed change, normality, and more than what this life could offer you.

The circus was setting up right outside of Gotham. It wasn’t the nicest city, but if you went to one more city, you’d break. You had talked to the ringleader earlier in the day about you quitting, he was saddened but respectful about it. He understood that this life isn’t for everyone. Jerome on the other hand, didn’t take it too well…

You had left him a note on his bed before you went to do your hair and makeup. You were one of the performers who not only performed, but also went out and greeted guests as they arrived. You were putting the finishing touches on your makeup when your door slammed open and a wild Jerome barged in.

A major argument ensued. You understood why Jerome didn’t want you to leave, and you tried to get him to see your side of the story, but he couldn’t. It ended with you being called out to start working for the night and walking out, saying that you’d talk about this later.

Little did you know that there wouldn’t really be a later.

That night, Jerome wasn’t there to spot you during your act. It was a couple of the other circus tech crew members. Jerome had snuck off and killed his mother after another one of her fits.

You went back to your caravan after your act was canceled thanks to the families feuding and the GCPD breaking it up. You had been interrogated by a man named Jim Gordon. He asked about your suitcase being packed up, and you told him your whole back story. He could tell that you were telling the truth. You asked if this would keep you from moving to Gotham. He gave you the okay and even offered to help. He couldn’t let a 16 year old just wander around Gotham alone. Jim then went to go talk to the rest of the circus.

About 20 minutes later, he knocked at your door again and asked you about Jerome’s mother. That’s when you found out that she had been murdered. You went to go comfort Jerome as soon as you could. When the police finally left, Jerome went back with you to your caravan and stayed with you for the night.

The next morning, you were having your last breakfast with everyone. Recollecting memories, talking about future plans, saying that you’ll visit whenever they came near Gotham again, and finally the goodbyes. Jerome was the last one to say goodbye to. He tried one last time to get you to stay, but you needed to move on. You knew he’d had the circus family to support him, but you felt awful leaving him. Until he confessed to killing his mother.

You almost ran after that. The last thing you remember before getting in the cab was his laugh and him saying “I’ll come and find ya’, sweetcheeks!”

From that moment, Jerome’s short reign of terror began until he was shot during his attempt to kill Bruce. After his arrest, Jim Gordon took you in. You were too young to be on your own. He knew he had to wait until after the investigation to even say anything to you about it, but as soon as Jerome was taken away, Jim called you.

~~~~~~~~

“And then you know the rest of what led to this moment.” You didn’t realize how bad you were shaking. Bruce waited until you were done talking to move and hold you tight to try to fight the trembling.

He had listened to every word you said and how you said them. He didn’t judge you for any of your past. He understood everything.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that.” Bruce just held you close, gently rubbing his hand up and down your arm. You wrapped yourself around him. Bruce then had a lightbulb go off in his head. Hearing Jerome’s name on the television was what set you off earlier. He turned to face you, you were looking down at the comforter.

“Hey, (Y/N)?” You looked up at him now. You could clearly see the protective Bruce coming out. There was a small amount of worry in his eyes though.

“You know I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep you safe, right?” You nodded your head yes and leaned up to kiss his cheek before going back to playing with the comforter. You knew he would always do his best when it came to you. There was a pause in the conversation which caused you to look back up at him. You could see that he was trying to work out something in his head. He always got this look when he was thinking.

“What’s going through your head, Brucey?” You slid your hand into his and intertwined your fingers. He was so warm compared to your frigid body. You always seemed to be cold, but he was your warmth.

“I don’t want you being alone.” You waited for him to continue. “I mean, I don’t think it’s going to be safe for you to be without any protection. I know that Jim has taught you some self defense, but if Jerome really intends on coming after you, he is going to be able to fight back.” You shifted a bit, scared of the thought of Jerome popping in out of nowhere and taking you. Bruce noticed this and tried his best to make things worse.

“I think you should take time off of work until this all blows over. Either stay here with me and Alfred, or be with Jim, or even at the GCPD. I know you don’t like this, but I’m trying to think safe and rational.” You just nodded your head.

He was right. You didn’t like this idea. You didn’t like the idea of not working. You didn’t like the idea of basically hiding from Jerome. Yes you didn’t want to confront the maniac killer, but you didn’t want to hide either. Bruce saw that you weren’t very happy and made you look at him when he began talking again.

“I love you. And you are too important in my life for me to let anything to happen to you. This is much more than the usual ‘making sure you don’t walk alone at night’. He is an insane murderer that you have a past with. Which puts a huge target on your back. So please, realize that this is the best plan to keep you safe.” You just leaned forward and kissed him.

You trusted Bruce with your life. You loved him to the farthest stars and back. If he said this was the safest way, then you believed him. His points were valid and you knew that sometimes the best option isn’t always the most well liked.

You pulled away and rested your forehead on his. He was about to speak when you cut him off.

“It’s the safest way.” Bruce let out a deep breath and was relieved that you said that. He pulled you into another kiss. His lips were gentle and sweet, he knew that that was all you needed in this moment and you gladly kissed back.

You both were interrupted by your phone ringing. You looked at the screen.

Jim Gordon Calling.

Taking a deep breath, you answered the phone. “Hey.”

“(Y/N)! Thank god! Where are you?” It was obvious that Jim was scared. He must have heard the news at work.

“I’m at Bruce’s.”

“Okay. Good. I just wanted to make sure because I just got word that--”

“Yes, I heard the news while we were having dinner tonight. I know that he is back somehow.” Jim went quiet for a few seconds. You could imagine him leaning on his desk, head in his hand, phone in the other, feeling like a bad parent for not being with you. You decided to keep speaking.

“I’m fine right now, just a bit shaken. Bruce was able to help me calm down enough to function again.”

“Tell him I said ‘thank you.’” There was a small pause before Jim sighed on the other end. “Listen, I know I should be with you at home tonight, but now that Jerome is out, Captain’s got us working like crazy.” You decided to speak before he continued to make himself feel worse.

“It’s alright. I already decided that I am going to just spend the night here tonight. I left a some clothes here awhile ago since I come by so often that I practically live here. And I’m sure that it won’t be any problem if I stay here more often because of your work load.”

“Tell Bruce I said ‘thank you’ again. I’m glad you’re with him instead of some punk from the cafe or something.” There was some noise in the background that must have caught Jim’s attention. “I gotta go. I’ll let you know when I get back home safe. I love you, kiddo.”

“Wait! Before you go, we have to talk about this plan that Bruce thought of.”

Part 3 - Here

#Bruce Wayne x Reader #bruce x reader #jim gordon x reader #jim x reader #jerome valeska x reader #jerome x reader #gotham imagine #gotham fanfiction #gotham fic #jerome valeska imagine #bruce wayne imagine #jim gordon imagine #WritingWithADino

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rojpoj-diary · 7 years

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Blog Entry #14

4/12/17

Yo, today wasn’t eventful, since I pulled $20 from the bank last night I was thinking of going to Mr. Riley as lunch today and making a donation because I was not able to go to the Project Humanity’s little event at the Habit. It turned out that he didn’t know how that would work, but suggested that I join the club since there meeting was today. And the reason that I came over that particular day because the Anti-Bullying Club’s meeting was canceled because Justin, our head guy, had to turn in some stuff and take a test or something late minute. WTF! He is so disorganized, if you are going to have stuff like that happen you should know what fucking day you are going to do it on. I am really anal about being organized and when I see disorder it really bothers me. The club doesn’t have have a messaging system like the other clubs do unfortunately, because they are lazy and I would but I have no idea how to do it, plus I am not in a leading position. Anyway I walk up to Izzy, Robert, Biane and the others to listen on their club plans. And when everyone is dismissed I confront her about the money. She said that I should just join the club because they could use help, they don’t have meeting every week anyway. Also apparently she said that the money would have been useless in a sense because the money from the restaurant goes to a school lockbox and Izzy didn’t think they’d let her just put my $20 in there. She said that i was basically trying to throw money at the club instead of helping and I do confess I was rather reluctant to join as I already had the Anti-Bullying Club on Wednesdays-before she told me about the clubs flexible schedule. but I was not throwing money, I we got into an argument about the money but it was comical, and Lauren came in and we wanted her thoughts but she said that her was in a biased position, Izzy said it was against me and I half thought it was too, dang low self esteem lol. Anyway so now I’m in another club and I got on their Remind. So then I go to the cafeteria because I am starving, I am always starving at school, you get me, and they have barely anything left, so I get a sandwich. But I couldn’t eat it because I had 5th period soon, then I would have to use all of passing period to get from room 66 to room T-13 and they are on opposite ends of the school and the construction for the two new building at VHS is right in the middle of my normal route so I’ve had to go around. Anyway after school I finished some math that was just killing me, then went to Mr. Riley’s to go say hi, coincidentally Sophia was visiting, in hindsight I should have given her a hug but it did not cross my mind. She said she wanted to visit the class but she works in the morning, and she was going to visit Friday but there is no school this Friday which got her comically upset lol. She is such a hoot. So anyways after she leaves I grab my now unwrapped sandwich and start eating, I walk around school and find Maddie waiting for a ride near the office out front. We basically just talk about lazy siblings, the fact she lives in Fairfield instead of Vacaville because the housing offers don’t last long enough for them to get a good look at them and makeup. She is really fun to talk to. Also luckily for me my mother came to pick me up. The rest of the day was mild. Well anyway it’s getting late so, see ya!

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iwasnthere622 · 7 years

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Hi My Name Is... (Ch. 2)

AO3 Link

"Jason," Sam Scott called out when he heard the front door open and his kids walk inside.

"Yeah?" Jason said, heading into the kitchen and finding her dad sitting at the table, dread tightening in her gut.

"We need to talk," Sam sighed. "Pearl, can you work in your room for right now?"

"Okay," Pearl said, frowning, giving Jason a hug before she left.

Jason hugged Pearl back with one arm, shifting her weight. "Yeah?" she repeated.

"Sit down," Sam said, watching his son carefully drop his bag and sit on the edge of the chair across from him. "You mind telling me where you were yesterday?"

Jason stared at him. "What?"

"Where were you yesterday, what did you do all day?" Sam asked.

"Uh. Well, school. Then I studied with some friends, came home around dinnertime," Jason answered, nerves making her heart race.

"School, huh," Sam said, wondering why Jason felt like he had to lie to him. "That's funny, because the school called this morning to let me know that you skipped school yesterday."

"Dad, I--"

"And that you've been missing afternoon classes recently," Sam continued over him, studying him.

"They're lying, I'm going to school!" Jason protested, heart racing, willing her dad to believe her. She'd only missed a few classes to take care of some putties, yesterday was the first time she'd missed a whole day and that was only because it hadn't seemed worth it, to go in for the afternoon half of the day when attendance was done in the morning...

Sam shook his head. "What's going on with you, Jason?"

"Nothing, I swear--"

"Don't lie to me," Sam said, voice hard.

Jason cut herself off, glaring at the table.

"You gonna tell me the truth?" Sam asked, but Jason stayed silent and he sighed. "I don't understand you."

"Yeah," Jason said bitterly, hands flexing in her lap, wanting to punch something.

Sam studied his son and wished he would just talk to him. "Go do your homework," he said, resigned, watching Jason stand up and grab his bag before reaching to the counter and offering him some papers.

"What's this?" Jason asked, frowning, taking them.

"I told the school you were out yesterday to go to the doctor's, for your knee," Sam said. "That's your sick note. I also told them you'd had to switch your PT timeslot, which is why you'd missed some afternoon classes, but we fixed it and it won't happen again."

Jason stared at the papers in her hands, not understanding. She hadn't done PT in months, and she definitely hadn't been to a doctor recently...

"Just... be careful, okay? Be safe," Sam said, standing and squeezing her shoulder before leaving the room and heading to his office.

Jason stared after him, heart racing, not understanding why her dad had covered for her, what did he think she was doing? He couldn't know, right? No, he'd have said something...

For whatever reason, he was going easy on her, giving her a way out, so she took it, slipping the notes into her bag and retreating to her room.

"Billy! Jason Scott is here!" Mrs. Cranston yelled, smiling at Jason who shifted, offering a small smile in return.

"Okay, mom, thanks!" Billy yelled, setting his tools down and heading upstairs.

"Hey, Jason," Billy greeted with a smile.

"Hey, Billy," Jason said softly, shifting his grip on his bag.

"We can study in the dining room, so we can spread out the books," Billy said, leading the way, the pair quickly getting settled and getting to work.

"So you just do... that?" Jason asked, balancing the chemistry equation.

"Yes, exactly!" Billy grinned, clapping happily. "You did it, Jason!"

Jason shifted, smiling at Billy. "Thanks to your tutoring."

Billy shook his head. "You did it yourself."

"Thanks," Jason said, glancing at his phone. "I should probably head home. See you tomorrow at school?"

"Yes," Billy said, standing up. "You'll do great on the quiz."

"Hope so," Jason said, nodding his thanks again and ducking out.

The next day at school, Billy watched everyone greet Jason, and he noticed something that he hadn't noticed before, eyes narrowing a bit.

He watched closely after that, and came to a realization: whenever anyone said Jason's name, he shifted away. It was subtle, which was probably why Billy hadn't noticed sooner, but he moved his weight, swaying in place. And not just in response to Jason, but also to Jase from Kim, or J from Trini, and even Dude or Bossman from Zack.

Billy had no idea what this meant, if it was a fluke thing today or if it'd always happened. Since his definition of normal tended to be skewed, he didn't say anything.

But it became a habit of his, to check Jason's reaction whenever someone talked to him. He thought it might be because he was still used to people using his name against him -- he heard the whispers, and could still hear them, where people said oh my god it's Jason Scott and they turned his name into a curse word.

He didn't want to upset Jason if that was the case, so he just tried to talk to him without using any name at all, which was actually easier than it sounded.

They were training after school on a Friday, just an hour to blow off steam since they'd all had some pretty rough tests to get through this week, when Jason flipped Zack over his head.

"Woo, go Red!" Trini cheered as Zack groaned.

Billy blinked, so used to checking Jason for a reaction that he almost didn't notice that there wasn't one.

He watched Jason closely as he and Zack fought, saw him twitch when Kim called him Jase but watched him grin when Zack called for mercy after Jason got him pinned and said, "Damn, Red, I'mma get your ass next time."

Billy filed the information away as he and Kim switched in to spar next, but he remembered when they were all splitting up at the bottom of the mountain to head home.

"Night, Red," he said, smiling when Jason grinned easily at him.

"Night, Blue," Jason said, walking away towards his house, and Billy thought that he almost definitely was carrying an unconscious negative reaction to his name, vowing to try to use Red more often. That one seemed okay, since that was tied to the team, to people who would never use Jason's name against him.

Jason double checked that all the doors and windows were locked before going to her closet, reaching into the back. She dug under discarded football gear, pulling out a small, fire-proof lockbox that her parents had given her when she was Pearl's age and started getting an allowance so that she'd have a safe place to keep the money.

She picked up the box, closing the closet door and walking quickly to the bathroom, shutting and locking that door, too.

She turned on the exhaust fan and set the box on the counter, using the small key on her key ring to open the box.

There was some money inside, sure, but the box largely contained mismatched makeups and beauty products, even a few small pieces of jewelry.

Ignoring those, she dug around and tried to ignore the stab of guilt at seeing some her mom's things hidden here, some from Pearl, and even Kim and Trini... the rest stolen from the local drugstore, hidden in large pockets because she knew there was no way she could ever buy it.

Maybe before the prank and the car crash, she could have played it off, a gift for her mom or Pearl or a girlfriend, but now, with how everyone looked at her, like she was a piece of dog shit on everyone's shoe... There was no way she'd be able to play it off, they would call her a freak, tell her parents, and the utter panic that that thought caused washed away the guilt.

And some of the things in here... her fingers lingered over the deep red nail polish... they were things she could never wear, not even on a day like this when she had the house to herself for a few hours, because they just took too long to come off, were too bright and vibrant to hide.

Shaking herself, she dug around until she found the women's razor and one of her few bath bombs, setting the items on the counter and pulling out her half-empty tube of peel-off face mask and closing the box. She turned to the tub, twisting the tap to get the water running to fill it up.

Careful to avoid looking at herself in the mirror, she stripped, testing the temperature of the water and turning the tap off. She dropped in the bath bomb and watched it fizzle and dissolve, lavender scent filling the room and the water turning a light purple.

She grabbed the tube of face mask and razor and set them on the edge of the tub, climbing in and settling leaning against the porcelain, smiling a bit. She grabbed the face mask and squirted some out, rubbing it on her face until it was coated, capping the tube.

She leaned back, closing her eyes and just enjoying the warm water and the fizz of the bath bomb, muscles relaxing as she soaked. Eventually, she reached for the razor. She took her time, carefully shaving her chest and armpits and legs, propping one foot up at a time, going all the way up her thigh, washing away all the hair and feeling relief at getting rid of it.

Eventually, she finished up and carefully stood up, toes and fingers pruned from soaking in the water so long, unplugging the tub and letting it drain while she switched the shower part on and rinsed off, eventually moving to dry off. She turned the tap on to make sure to wash out any remnants of the bath bomb, pulling on briefs and sweatpants, the material sliding against her smooth legs.

Double checking the tub was clean, she turned off the water and moved to the counter, carefully beginning to peel the face mask off.

She was always grossed out and a little amazed at how much crap was hiding in her skin, looking in the mirror only when she had to to make sure she got it all off, collecting the flakes to bury in her trash in her room -- it was easier to hide in there than in the bathroom, where someone else might see it.

Finished, she rinsed the razor out and opened her box, replacing it and the face mask and locking it up once more. She tugged on a baggy t-shirt and left the bathroom, hiding her box back in her closet and burying the face mask remnants in her trash.

An hour later with her homework done, she was debating between putting on a movie or going online when the front door opened downstairs. "Jason? We picked up dinner," her mom called.

Jason sighed, glancing around to make sure everything was hidden. "Coming!" she yelled back, heading to the stairs.

"I win!" Zack yelled, landing on the ground with a big splash of displaced water, Jason right behind him and soaking him when he landed, too.

Jason laughed, shaking out his hair. "Only 'cause you cheat."

"All's fair in love and war," Zack teased, leading the way to the ship.

"Too bad we aren't in either," Jason snorted.

"Rude," Zack huffed, kicking Jason and bolting for the ship, laughing at the curses and pounding steps that followed him.

He whooped in victory when he entered the ship first, moving to their stash of dry clothes and digging through for some of his stuff, finding his track pants and shifting through the shirts, laughing when Jason shoved in next to him.

"We should probably sort this," Zack muttered as he looked, giving up and pulling out one of Billy's blue shirts.

Jason nodded in agreement, not looking up as Zack began to quickly undress.

Zack stripped, not in the least bit self-conscious, pulling on the dry clothes with a contented sigh. He moved to drape the wet clothes over one of the ship's many weird railing nook things, noticing that Jason was still looking through their piles of clothes -- was he studying Kim's skirt?

"Need help?" Zack offered with a grin, watching Jason quickly drop the skirt and snickering.

"No, ah, thanks," Jason said, quickly pulling out a red t-shirt and sweatpants. "I'm just gonna change," he said, moving to hide from view.

"Don't know why you are so shy," Zack teased, used to it by now -- while the others might be okay with occasionally changing in front of each other, Jason always moved to change alone where they couldn't see him.

He moved to the pit to wait for Jason, bouncing on the balls of his feet and grinning when he finally showed up. "Finally! Let's go, Bossman!"

Two hours later and he was pulling Billy's shirt over his head, wondering why he'd even put it on in the first place. The ship had temperature control but sparring for a few hours worked up a good sweat.

By hour three, he'd rolled the legs of his pants up, too, shaking his head at Jason. "Aren't you dying?"

"I'm fine," Jason said, wiping sweat from his forehead, shirt damp in patches.

"What are you gonna do when summer hits? You're gonna have heat stroke!" Zack said, ducking a punch.

"I said I'm fine -- worry about yourself," Jason said, swiping his leg at Zack's and sending him flying onto his ass.

Zack cursed, landing hard on his ass, pushing himself back up to his feet and launching himself at Jason.

By the time they called it quits, they were both panting and sticky with sweat and ended up tied in their number of wins each.

They didn't bother changing, Zack just grabbing the shirt he'd worn and the pair instead leaving the ship and heading to the water entrance to jump up and through, the water feeling good after the workout.

Zack slicked his hair back once they were on the top of the cliff, watching Jason pull at the wet, clinging material of his t-shirt in disgust.

"Just take it off, dude," he laughed.

"...It's fine," Jason sighed, shifting his weight and turning to face Zack, forcing himself to stop tugging at the shirt, letting it cling to his body. "Gimme Billy's shirt, I'll wash it with my stuff."

"Cool, thanks," Zack said, tossing the wet t-shirt over.

"See you tomorrow?" Jason asked.

Zack shrugged. "Probably."

Jason nodded, accepting that, waving and heading home, clothes squishing uncomfortably.

Zack chuckled and shook his head, turning to head to his trailer for a quick shower, idly wondering if he'd ever actually seen Jason shirtless? Or in shorts? He couldn't think of a time he had, but considering they had all become Rangers in the fall, that wasn't too weird, so he shrugged the thought off and kept walking.

It happened almost entirely on accident. She had given up on finding a name that felt right, having read through a dozen baby name sites and used random name generators, but nothing worked. She'd even asked her mom what her girl would have been, but Samantha was soft in a way that she wasn't and it didn't fit.

It wasn't like she could actually use the name, anyway, so what was the point? It was just another thing she wanted and couldn't have, another disappointment.

She was doing her homework at her desk, mind drifting and not really focusing on the history reading. She was doodling instead of taking notes, random squiggles that eventually turned into extravagantly curly letters, doodling her initials.

She wished for a name so she could try her new curly lettering on it, abbreviating her first name to just the initial and oh. Oh.

"How's the homework?" her dad asked, startling her. She quickly flipped the page in her notebook.

"It's fine, almost done," she answered.

Her dad nodded. "I'm picking up an extra run tomorrow -- we need you to watch your sister after detention."

She watched her dad grimace at the mention of her weekly Saturday detention, nodding quickly. "Okay," she agreed, making a note to text the team that Saturday practice was cancelled.

Her dad nodded, glancing around awkwardly. "Good. I'll let you finish up."

She waited until she was sure he was gone before flipping her notebook page back and staring at the page, at the curly J. Lee Scott written in the margins. J. Lee. Jaylee.

That's me, she thought, fear and excitement churning in her gut.

Later, when everyone else was asleep, she opened up the video app on her phone and checked her favorite makeup and vlog channels on the secret account she had made. Her heart raced as she clicked to edit her profile and changed her username to Jaylee.

Accepting the edit and reloading the page, she broke down crying when it happily greeted her. Welcome, Jaylee!

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